


I'll Be Home for Christmas

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: The Beautiful Verse [4]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 04:51:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve persuades the Avengers to celebrate in the Tower.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Be Home for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, yeah. I'm a sucker for holidays/holiday fics. You know what, that's good for you guys though. It inspires me to write. *smiles* Yay. 
> 
> Also, holy crap, I haven't written for this series in a while. I apologize to those of you who're putting up with the absence of the fourth installment. I swear I'm working on it. *feels stab of guilt* This is set during Life was Beautiful but before Peter arrives at the Tower. 
> 
> What would you guys think of me doing an Advent calendar sort of deal next year with Steve's various Christmases before the Avengers and with them? 
> 
> As always, enjoy!

* * *

Steve loved Christmas and everything about it. He enjoyed the lights, the good cheer and best of all, the love imbued during the month. But... He learned quickly that Avengers and Christmas didn't mix. So every year he spent at the Tower was exempt from his favorite holiday. Steve stared out at the glowing city of New York and flexed his wings, his mind lost in thought. Sighing lightly, he almost didn't hear Natasha step quietly into the semi-dark living room. 

"What makes you so melancholy?" 

"Christmas." he mutters, pressing his hand against the cool glass to face her in half-shadows. 

"Is it the fact that most of us chose not to celebrate?" she questions with a quiet tone.

"Mostly. It's also the fact that the only time I felt alright before I was Captain America was Christmas. I miss baking cookies with my Mam, wrapping presents for each other the evening before in newspapers we collected from our neighbors and the smallest, saddest tree in the lot would have a home with us that holiday and then get used for tinder when it dried out. I miss a lot of things and that's one of them." Steve taps out the opening bars to his favorite Christmas song. 

"Our Christmases were nothing like yours and Thor celebrates Beltane. What do you suggest doing about it?" she asks softly.

"Compromise." He says with a grin.

* * *

Morning comes when Steve gently disentangles his lovers from his wings. He starts subtly, by making pancakes for all of them and humming the odd snatch of song that could be termed Christmas-worthy. 

"Steve, was that White Christmas?" 

"Maybe." Steve can be evasive as hell when he wants to be. "It's December, right?" Tony looks at Bruce and then his genius pair shrugs. "If you guys mind I'll stop." 

"No. I, umm, like it when you sing." Tony blushes as he says it. 

"Alright." He continues to hum as the rest of the Avengers pile into the room. As he reaches the crescendo for Silent Night, the others are smiling. 

"Hey, Steve, you wanna go out and get lights for the Tower?" 

"Or a tree?" Steve whirls around, startled at the amount of hesitance in both of his lover's voices. 

"Sure." he says with a warm smile. "There should be a few lots around New York but I'm not sure if they still exist." Clint perked up from his spot at the table. "I'm a little behind the times, you know." The Avengers burst out laughing and the Tower felt lighter than all of the years he'd been here. 

"Steve?" Tony asked ask he tapped away at a holographic interface with a disgruntled expression. Bruce was in his containment cell next door, clear sound-proofed glass the only thing separating them. He fluffed his wings as he felt a stare. 

"Hmm." he answered quietly as he searched for lots still in the city on his up-to-date StarkPad. 

"You wanna go get that tree now?" 

"There's one at my old church in Brooklyn if you wanna travel that far. I'd normally pick the scrawniest tree but since it's our first Christmas at the Tower, we can get a big one?" 

"How about both since you are talking to a genius billionaire philanthropist here." Tony scoffed, flicking the interface to the larger screen mode. "Okay, kitchy hand-made Christmas ornaments or delivered ones?" 

"Both. I'd like to pull the ones I kept from my Mam out of storage." Steve murmured as he drew up the address and put it into his phone. "Driving and are we including the rest of the Avengers? I think we need their input for a tree." A hiss of the automatic door indicated that Bruce was done meditating for the day. 

"Tree-hunting? JARVIS?" Bruce asks the AI, his voice warm. 

"The Avengers would like to come along. The SHIELD trio wishes to shop for ornaments as well. Thor just wants to heft the biggest tree out of the lot once I explained the basic concept of Christmas to him. He wishes to celebrate with Dr. Foster and Ms. Lewis. Rhodey left a message saying that he'll be dropping by the Tower. Sir, if you wouldn't mind... The other AIs have issued a list to Mecha-Santa and wish for me to tell him." JARVIS conveyed, though the last part is said with a great deal of reluctance. 

"Send it to me." Tony swallows sharply and his eyes are brighter than normal.  
"Here." The list read easily but it choked Steve up a bit.

 

_Dear Mecha-Santa,_

_We would like a tree, small and scraggly, a few ornaments to decorate and some more time with Daddy._

_Love,_

_You, Dummy, Butterfingers and JARVIS_

_P.S. JARVIS needs a new update even if he won't ask for it. -Dummy_

Tony buried his face into Steve's shoulder and shook slightly, dampening his shirt with tears, "Fuck me side-ways, Steve. I love my bots. I really do." 

"I know. Dummy keeps offering me those chlorophyll shakes you used to drink." he soothes and Tony's breath hitches more with laughter than tears. 

"That means he likes you." comes the watery reply. 

"Huh. Okay. So, wings in or out?" 

"Out. This is an Avengers mission. I sent the request to Fury this morning hoping you'd say yes." Tony's response is muffled but still understandable. 

"Oh, Tony... Bruce, c'mere. If it's Christmas-related and you genuinely want to do it, go for it. You don't have to ask me." Steve reassures them as he cuddles his lovers close, his wings curling protectively around them." 

"Okay." Bruce hums while his fingers unerringly seeking out the secondary coverts with a precision that still scares Steve a little. Tony mimicks him and they stand for a moment in the labs, Steve's eyes half-lidded from the contentment in the air. 

"Hello? Anyone home?" Clint waves an arrow in front of Steve's face and he blinks at it before scowling at the archer. "Eep! Umm, your eyes are all round and-I can't believe I'm about to say this-birdish. Harpy eagle but blue, if that makes any sense?" 

"JARVIS, did you catch that?" Tony asks the AI as they still didn't have all the information on Steve's mutation. 

"Yes Master Stark." The holographic video pulled up and started, revealing that Steve had a third eyelid that appeared when he was cuddling his lovers close. It had slid hack and his eyes had definitely been inhuman for a few moments. He wondered if Bucky had ever seen him like that but his best friend hadn't known about his wings. Steve had always run miles from camp to unfurl his biggest secret.

He clears his throat pointedly and says in all seriousness, "Can we go get those trees now?"

* * *

When they get there, the Father of the church actually recognizes Steve.  
"It can't be... You're little Steven Rogers. Well, not so little anymore." The Father's eyes roam over his multi-colored wings as they arch in the faint sunlight. "Come, come. The lot is to the side." They troop behind him and the trees this year are beautiful and full. "I'm not sure if I have a small tree." 

"We'll be taking home a big one and the smallest we find, Father." he admits with a smile and a shrug. He peers around the lot and spots what's easily the smallest one, tiny but still a little fluffy. "Found it. Alright, Avengers, go see if you can't find the biggest one." 

Thor tore off through the lot with the enthusiasm of a puppy, Clint chasing afte him with a grin as Phil and Natasha started what looked like a methodical grid-search. Tony just stood with Bruce, eyes occasionally flicking to the treetops as they discusses formulas for the tree heights. Steve went and fetched the tiny tree with a wry smile. Carting it back took no effort at all; it would be perfect for the AIs to celebrate with and decorate. 

"Oh, they'll love that, especially Butterfingers." Tony grinned at the teeny tree, the smile actually genuine. "Father, how much for the biggest and this little one?" 

"In the donation tin, Mr. Stark." The Father's tone was almost sarcastic. 

"I think I'll just buy out the entire lot and you can give them away to families in need of one. How's that?" Tony offered as he pulled out his card, tapping his chin with it as he pressed a finger to his earpiece for JARVIS. "Bruce, wanna come with me and brighten people's days?" 

"Sure, Tony." Bruce laughed as Thor ran back with what Steve could clearly see was the biggest tree. 

"Tis as big as a dwarf tree in Asgard! Will this do, Captain?" Thor said as quietly as he was able, keeping to what Darcy said was his inside voice. 

"Yeah, that one's perfect." Steve says as Tony comes back with a smirk and a candy cane end in his mouth. Bruce is breaking his apart to eat it and he's got the box they came from, holding it out to Steve. 

"Want one?" Bruce asks as Tony just takes an entire roll of hundred dollar bills, dropping it into the donation box. Father Kincaid swallows sharply and Tony cackles. 

"Done. Now, Cap, where to next?" the casual question from his lover makes him snort. 

"Storage unit." 

"Gotcha. Have a nice Christmas, Father!" Tony calls over his shoulder as they walk back to the truck that's specifically for Avenger outings with the trees as they get tied onto the roof securely by Clint and Phil. The sharp tip of the candy cane that his lover's nibbling on splinters as Tony bites down while he's waiting for two-thirds of the other trio to get back inside the truck. Steve rolls his eyes and starts the truck, driving until the neighborhood becomes one he recognizes. He exits the truck alone, walking into the office and heading for the desk. 

"Excuse me, miss?" he politely asks, tapping the bell with his fingertip. 

"Welcome to O'Brady's storage, how can I-Oh. Sir, we have a policy about mutants." She points to a sign on the desk, which reads 'We no longer serve mutants.' 

"What about my unit?" he continues as though he hadn't been snubbed for something he'd been born as. 

"You'll have to withdraw your objects and hand in your keys. I do apologize. This place has recently come under new management." she says with a sympathetic glance. 

"Thank you, miss." Steve strides into the hallway and locates the unit that has cobwebs and dust all around it. He turns his key in the lock and opens it, coughing at the amount of seventy-plus years of dust in it. Inside is three boxes that had taken him nearly a week even with Bucky's help to get inside once his Mam died. He picked up all three boxes carefully and stacked them from heaviest to lightest. It's strange to be removing a piece of his own past from here where he's kept it all these years. He returns to the desk and the woman looks startled when he wordlessly hands her the keys over the desk. He purposefully looks up at the camera he knows is there. "You have a nice day miss." 

"You too sir." Steve stalks out to the truck with a look that's a little past upset. 

"Whoa. Steve, what happened?" Tony immediately picks up on his mood, turning off the truck when Steve angrily starts it. 

"Babe?" Bruce reaches up from the back seat and places a hand on his shoulder.  
"I've missed a lot but I still can't stand bigots. The place no longer serves mutants because it's under new management. I had to collect everything and hand in the key that I've had since before Bucky left for the war. Just..." Steve heaves a deep sigh and wraps his arms around Tony awkwardly in the front seat. "That stuff's important to me." 

"You want my lawyer group to attack them?"

"No. It's not worth it." He mutters as he inhales Tony's scent of motor-oil, coconut and the bite of sharp metal. 

"Yeah it is. They upset you. That's not right." Tony argues right back, pressing their foreheads together. 

"Let it go. I, for one, just want to decorate the tree and see what havoc your inventions will wreak on the little tree." he counters with a bittersweet laugh that turns genuine at the thought of Dummy holding a commercially-made ornament and decorating the tree. 

"It was the AIs and the thought of them holding ornaments, wasn't it?" Bruce asks knowingly, a bright smile on his usually calm face. Steve just threw his head back and laughed while he started the truck with a calmer mood.

* * *

They stare at the tree while Tony brings up schematics for decorating. Steve cracks open the box of hand-made Christmas ornaments and smiles at the carefully placed tinsel drape in the corner of the box. 

"Wow. That stuff's actually pretty nice." Clint says as he peers into the box.  
"Hey, we had good Christmas decorations. They were a nickel a pop and glass to boot, alright?" he huffs as he gently unpacked the angel that had sat on every single Christmas tree until he was nineteen. "Can we start with her?" When he held her, the rest of the Avengers went quiet. Steve guesses that none of them (except maybe Phil) has had a good Christmas experience. "I mean, I can put her back-"

"No!" Tony yelps as he abandons the interface to skid to a halt into front of Steve. "She's brilliant. Let's start with that." 

"It's two days 'til Christmas, Tony. You sure?" he hums as he carefully arranges the angel's hair to be properly in place. 

"Oh yeah. You put her on top, okay?" His genius says as he watches Steve be extremely careful with the tree topper. He flares his wings out and snapped them down just once. He floated for a few moments and that was enough time to adjust the angel before he touched the floor again. "That's good." 

Clint was hovering over the boxful of 40s decorations with a gleeful expression,"Can we hang these ones up first?" 

"I don't know, Clint, those are personal ornaments." Phil stated quietly. 

"No. It's fine. Just be careful with those; my Mam bought them as a set and I don't think you can find them elsewhere." he teases as he curls his wings around Bruce as well as Tony. Clint and Natasha handle the ornaments with a delicate touch that he knows is required of them in covert operations. 

They take the tinsel drape and the tree is absolutely glowing. Tony puts on a few tasteful wooden ornaments as Bruce places garlands and natural decorations around the wide windows as Steve ties the mistletoe above the doorframe. Tony gives him a kiss that could be borderline bedroom while Bruce's is a little more gentle, soft and warm. The other trio trades kisses and they all kiss Thor on the cheek before he goes off to celebrate with Dr. Foster plus Darcy. It's a little quieter without Thor but it's still nice. 

"You wanna marathon all the movies you missed?" Tony says while he pulls up a list of movies in his digital archive. "We've got both in physical as well as digital. Whichever ones you like better." 

"One per Avenger, I think." he replies as he draws them closer to him. 

"I like the sound of that."

* * *

The AIs adore the tiny tree Steve puts down in the lab along with a box of ornaments, tinsel and lights. He supervises because while the AIs are cute, they're also clumsy. Dummy winds the lights around the tree, beeping and whirring with a tune that takes a moment for Steve to recognize as a robotized version of Come All Ye Faithful. Butterfingers drops three ornaments; two by accident and one on purpose onto You. You retaliated with a wrapping of tinsel around Butterfinger's mobile arms. Steve untangled them both and swept up the broken glass baubles with a stern look at Tony's babies. 

"Get along or the tree goes." he warns with a wag of his finger. You at least has the grace to lower its arm. Butterfingers isn't even repenant. Dummy fires the fire-extinguisher at the other robotic arm and Steve throws his arms up in the air in frustration. " _TONY!_ " 

"You, good bot. Dummy, that wasn't very nice but Butterfingers deserved it. Butterfingers, corner or I'm leaving you to _rust_." Tony barks out, affection behind his rough tone. Dummy appears to preen and flicks its fingers up to Tony. His lover grins and opens the panel to JARVIS's mainframe, typing in several things at once and digging in deep while he concentrates with a mini HUD. Steve's left to monitor the AIs with a plug-in star that You places slowly onto the top of the teeny tree. He fixes the lights and then plugs those in as well. There's not much else he can do so he serenades Tony and his AIs long into the night. 

**-Christmas Day-**

Steve wakes up to missing geniuses and an empty bed. He untangles his wings from the sheets while yawning. Stretching after putting on some sleep pants and an SSR t-shirt, he shuffles into the living room and blinks at the literal mountain of presents in front of the tree. Bruce is holding a wriggling Tony back while Clint is all but falling back asleep on Phil as Natasha huddles with them on the couch.

"What time is it?" he cracks another yawn as he asks that question. 

"Ten! You're here, can we open them now?" Tony chirrups brightly. 

Steve holds up a hand and comes back with coffee for the other four along with himself. It seems like Tony'd already had at least one entire carafe to himself. The tea is cradled in the crook of his arm for Bruce. His other genius thanks him with a soft smile and a kiss in greeting. Tony's is sweet but softer as well, his excitement tempered by the fact that not everyone is as awake as he is. After feeling a bit more human, Steve selects one present for each of them from the mountain they've obviously all been waiting to give to one another and watches as they tear through the paper. 

Happy and satisfied exclamations come from everyone as they all shove the wrapping paper pile to one side. Steve grins as the Avengers (Phil included) tear through their gifts in a whirlwind. Each present is more than welcome in the Tower. When the joy of having presents fades a little, Tony sighs as he stares at a wrench Steve had given him with a melancholy expression. 

"Tony?" Steve questioned with a tilt of his head. 

"This is... This is probably the only Christmas in my memory that hasn't included showing off for Dad's friends or Obie's (they all wince at the mention of the former partner of Stark Industries) or some stupid military contractor. Thanks." the sincere tone has Steve scooping up his louder genius into a hug. 

"You're welcome." he whispers as he presses kisses over Tony's scruffy face. "There'll be more like this one in the future." 

"Ha, the only Christmas where I'm not running from someone who hates my guts or avoiding everyone to keep Hulk at bay. He's... pretty happy and so am I. I don't think I can ever thank you enough." Bruce rasps as he stares at the tree with misty golden eyes. Steve cradles his quieter genius in his wings along with Tony, a croon deep in his chest rumbling up to comfort them. 

"It is also a first for myself and Clint not to be separated from Phil, on a mission or alone." Natasha admits, her gaze softer than he's ever seen it. 

"Best Christmas ever." Clint says with a grin as he snuggles against both Phil and Tasha. 

"Agreed." Phil murmurs with a warm smile. Steve thinks to himself that there are indeed Christmas miracles.

**Author's Note:**

> Whew. Sorry it's short but I needed to get this out before it died on me. Happy holiday of your choice and happy new year! Ta!


End file.
